DAHER AL SAWAN, Lebanon: Lebanon’s longtime former central bank chief, who is widely blamed for the country’s economic meltdown, was released on bail of $14 million Friday after a year in jail awaiting trial on corruption charges.
Riad Salameh ended his 30-year term as central bank governor in 2023 under a cloud, with several European countries probing allegations of financial crimes.
Many in Lebanon hold him responsible for the crippling financial crisis that has gripped the country since late 2019, during which depositors lost their life savings as the value of the currency collapsed.
Salameh became the central bank chief in 1993 and initially was celebrated for his role in steering Lebanon’s economic recovery after a 15-year civil war, and for keeping the economy on an even keel during long spells of political gridlock and turmoil.
He is now facing several criminal cases, both locally and internationally.
Last September, Lebanon charged Salameh with the embezzlement of $42 million, later adding charges of illicit enrichment over an apartment that was rented in France, supposedly to be a substitute office for the central bank if needed. Officials said Salameh had rented from his former romantic partner for about $500,000 annually.
While in detention, the 75-year-old former bank chief’s health declined, and he was in a hospital outside of Beirut prior to his release on Friday.
The court denied a request by Salameh to be released without bail, setting the bail amount at $14 million. It also imposed a travel ban on him.
After Salameh posted the amount, investigators questioned him about the source of the funds and asked him for documents to prove that they were not the proceeds of illicit activities.
Salameh’s lawyer, Marc Habka, told journalists that his client was in poor health, and that “we have presented to the court all the evidence” to prove his innocence.
“It’s the right of the Lebanese people to know, in the end,” he said. “If Riad Salameh is involved (in the alleged crimes), he will be convicted. If other people are involved, they will be convicted, and if he is innocent, he will be acquitted.”
Lebanon’s ex-central bank chief accused of corruption released on $14m bail
https://arab.news/7653y
Lebanon’s ex-central bank chief accused of corruption released on $14m bail
- Salameh ended his 30-year term as central bank governor in 2023 under a cloud, with several European countries probing allegations of financial crimes
- The court denied a request by Salameh to be released without bail, setting the bail amount at $14 million
WHO alarmed by health workers, civilians ‘forcibly detained’ in Sudan
- The WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, though it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency
GENEVA: The World Health Organization voiced alarm Tuesday at reports that more than 70 health workers and around 5,000 civilians were being detained in Nyala in southwestern Sudan.
Since April 2023, Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a brutal conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 12 million more and devastated infrastructure.
“We are concerned by reports from Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur state, that more than 70 health care workers are being forcibly detained along with about 5,000 civilians,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
“According to the Sudan Doctors Network, the detainees are being held in cramped and unhealthy conditions, and there are reports of disease outbreaks,” the UN health agency chief said.
The RSF and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North faction allied earlier this year, forming a coalition based in Nyala.
“WHO is gathering more information on the detentions and conditions of those being held. The situation is complicated by the ongoing insecurity,” said Tedros.
“The reported detentions of health workers and thousands more people is deeply concerning. Health workers and civilians should be protected at all times and we call for their safe and unconditional release.”
The WHO counts and verifies attacks on health care, though it does not attribute blame as it is not an investigation agency.
In total, the WHO has recorded 65 attacks on health care in Sudan this year, resulting in 1,620 deaths and 276 injuries. Of those attacks, 54 impacted personnel, 46 impacted facilities and 33 impacted patients.
Earlier Tuesday, UN rights chief Volker Turk said he was “alarmed by the further intensification in hostilities” in the Kordofan region in southern Sudan.
“I urge all parties to the conflict and states with influence to ensure an immediate ceasefire and to prevent atrocities,” he said.
“Medical facilities and personnel have specific protection against attack under international humanitarian law,” Turk added.
